Glutton For Punishment
by WinterJade
Summary: In the midst of a freak October heat wave, Makarov was beaming and Lucy and Laxus were pouting like five year-olds. Must be S-Class exam time! LaLu LaxLu LaxusLucy. Multi-chapter, T for swearing. Post Grand Magic Games. Romance/Humor, with a tiny bit of drama later.
1. The Genius of A Fairy Tail Master

It's here! It's here! Woooo! I'm so happy. Rated T for swearing. Not the f-word or b-word, but nearly everything below that.

Credit to CupCakesYummeh, because she is my beta! (-squeal- I have a beta!) She influenced this story from the very first chapter because she's so great at dialogue, my evil nemesis, and humor, which is what I try to do. Sometimes. But fail in comparison. Together we shall build LaxLu from the ground up! I love all your stuff.

If there's an issue, don't blame CupCakes, blame me. I'm the one who switched everything to past-tense. I realized I couldn't write the second chapter in present tense.

Disclaimer: I own not a single Tail of the Fairy. You can tell, because if I did, Laxus would rarely have a shirt on, and LaxLu would be canon. More canon than Gruvia is right now.

* * *

"Argh, so hot..." _Thump_. Lucy Heartfilia, feeling rather sorry for herself, hissed in pain, and then relaxed. At least her floor was a little cooler than her hated inferno of a bed. The nineteen year-old shot a glare at the offending object, but it was really more of a frown. _It's so hot_, she pouted, _too hot to get angry._ She spread out on her floor, wishing that she could wear something cooler than a bikini without being indecent. Late on her rent, her evil, manipulating, diabolical landlady had turned off her access to air-conditioning. It was October, so she'd laughed it off, but boy, did she regret it. Stupid freak heat wave.

Groaning, Lucy rolled over onto her stomach and pushed herself up, nearly slipping when her slick palm met the smoothness of her hardwood floor. Finally, she managed to stand, stumble into the bathroom, and fill the bathtub with cold water. The young woman sat on the edge and toppled herself into the bath, past caring about the water that overflowed onto the floor. Lucy sighed in relief for the cold. _Ah, I wish I could stay forever. Stupid rent. Stupid Natsu. _Briefly, she remembered her last mission, a horrible affair where Natsu, Gray and Erza had completely demolished the town they were trying to save. Instead of much needed jewels, Lucy had gotten a headache from the screaming and the distinct desire to murder her friends in their sleep.

Since she couldn't do that – she was pretty sure Erza would kick her butt before she even got close – Lucy was stuck with going to Fairy Tail in the hopes of grabbing a mission, preferably solo, that paid high enough to take care of both last month's and next month's rent. In the heat. Instead of relaxing in her wonderful ice bath. The spirit mage moaned and sunk deeper in protest. _Stupid Natsu. Stupid Erza. Stupid Gr_ –

Lucy sat up quickly, drowning her bathroom and using more energy than she had in the past twenty-four hours. Gray! Why, oh why, would she ever think of killing that sweet, wonderful, kind ice mage that could be her personal air-conditioner? Especially if she used her special pout, the one that made boys fall over themselves and got her discounts on whatever she wanted to buy!

Feeling slightly less pitiful, Lucy stepped out of her bath without bothering to dry off. More cold for her. She slipped into her lightest sandals, grabbed her keys, opened the door, closed it, and sunk to the floor. _So...hot..._ Lucy debated staying in her slightly cooler house, or going from the frying pan into the literal fire, for the reward of a single sympathetic ice-mage and a smoothie from Mirajane, who gave them away on the house when it was hot. With dancing smoothies on her brain, Lucy crawled to the door, pulled it open, and threw herself into the wall of pure heat before she could change her mind.

* * *

Hot didn't even begin to cover it. Lucy was soaked in ice water, and so was her bikini, but she still felt as if she were dressed for a winter storm. She valiantly attempted to use as little effort as possible to get to the guild, resulting in an odd shuffling motion that made her look like a zombie, but she didn't care. _Too late to turn back, just keep going forward, it's too late. Think of the smoothies!_ Lucy repeated this mantra over and over again, slowly because it felt like her brain was going to melt and that wasn't healthy at _all_. She couldn't even raise her arm to wipe the sweat out of her eyes. Why did she rent a house so far from the guild? There was a desert all around her, and did someone turn the gravity up?

Lucy moaned again, as pathetically as she could manage, because no one was there to hear her and she felt like someone needed to know her suffering. She looked up from her slouch, and there was blessed relief, because she was in the center of the guild! Should she kiss the ground? _No,_ Lucy decided, _too much energy needed_. She heard her name and Lucy wondered who in the world could call with that much enthusiasm and all the heat on top of them.

"LUCY!" _Oh, it's Natsu._ Lucy sighed, feeling sticky sweat roll down the back of her neck.

"Hey..." Lucy almost forgot how to speak in her shock. Natsu was still wearing his jacket, even if it was open, and barely looked hot. _So unfair..._The only clue that he even noticed was the slight dampness that collected at his temples, making a few strands of hair stick to his face. He brushed them away in his impatience.

"Lucy, I'm going on a mission with Happy, I'll be back in a few days, okay?" Natsu said all of this in a rush, like it was just another day and every second he used to enunciate his words was precious time wasted. It took ten seconds for the words to reach his partner's head, even the words themselves moving sluggishly through the air.

"Oh. Okay." He was gone by the time she got the words out. Lucy shuffled to the bar, sat down, and let out another groan. Mirajane smiled and went to pat her head in sympathy.

"No, no, Mira, don't touch me. If I see another heat source, I'll die," Lucy muttered, slumped over. The barmaid slid her a smoothie, icy cold. It wasn't dancing like in Lucy's head, but she took a long pull from the straw anyway and sighed blissfully. She felt like her strength was up enough to go searching for more cold, and said, "This reminds me, have you seen Gray?" He was her only hope of getting through the day alive.

"Sorry, Lucy. Gray went on a mission with Juvia and won't be back for a week. Almost everyone's gone. I thought you'd be gone, too, actually."

"Eh, why's that!?" Conversation was difficult once she knew her friend wouldn't be coming to her rescue. The energy required to even open her mouth and make words drained her.

"Well, the exams are coming up in a month or so..." The stellar spirit mage moaned loudly, and pressed her forehead to her smoothie glass. She couldn't even think about training. It was too hot. She moaned louder, remembering last time. _It's my death sentence,_ Lucy realized dramatically, _No Gray to keep me __cool, no jobs to pay my rent...my death has finally come for me._

"You should be careful, girl. You keep moaning like that and people might get the wrong idea." Lucy jumped at the sound and glared at Laxus sitting beside her, looking far too happy for a wrong idea and a hot day. He was knocking back a smoothie, too.

"Are you insane?" Lucy asked bluntly. "It's okay if you are. I mean, I won't judge you for it, or anything." Laxus glared at her and put the smoothie down.

"What the hell?" His eyebrows were furrowed. She couldn't tell if he was concerned for her well-being – she wouldn't have minded the sympathy, certainly – or ticked off. She kind of liked the idea of him being annoyed. He _implied_ _things_ about her. She was annoyed, too.

"Well, you must be insane. You're still wearing your coat." Lucy took another gulp of her smoothie. _God, that's refreshing._

Skeptical and slightly confused, Laxus responded, "Are you _serious_? The newbie is questioning my sanity because of my coat?"

"It's hot," Lucy defended herself, "and I'm not a newbie, there are people way newer than I am."

"Yeah, right, you're still the weakest one in the guild. Stop complaining; it's not that hot. It's no wonder you got kidnapped at the games, if you can't even handle a little heat." Laxus mocked her, and then turned on the barstool with his back to her, ending the conversation.

Or so he thought.

Lucy snapped. It was _hellishly_ hot, she had _no_ rent, there was _no_ way to cool down, and this _idiot_ had to come ruin her day some more. He hit a raw nerve with her kidnapping; she'd been doing a pretty good job of forgetting the awful moment when she let everyone down. Despite the oppressive heat, Lucy got up and pulled Laxus's shoulder to make his chair spin back to her.

Angry beyond belief, she got right in his face and yelled, "I am not weak! It's hot, I'm tired, and _bastards_ like you who have no right to talk to me that way keep _pissing_ _me off_!" She punctuated her last statement with a hard shove that caught the man off guard and sent him off the stool onto the floor with a hard thud.

He was back up and behind her in a flash, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her closer to him. Did she mention she was still in her bikini? She squirmed in protest to the heat now pressing against her back. He grabbed her chin and forced it upwards and back to make her meet his eyes. His voice dropped dangerously.

"Don't push me, little girl. You're far too weak to have such a smart mouth on you," his eyes dropped to her mouth, then switched back to her eyes. He smirked. "and I might be...tempted...to do something about your lack of strength." He sounded like he was caressing the words as he said them, and Lucy struggled still more to get out of his hold as he laughed, amused at her attempt. His boots were still in close proximity to her sandal-covered feet, and she didn't put it past him to step on her.

"That's enough, Laxus." Master was suddenly there in front of them. Lucy looked at Mirajane, who seemed upset. _She must've been the one to get Master,_ Lucy realized. She didn't know if she was happy about that or not, since for him to be there, Mira had probably left when Lucy got mad, not when Laxus retaliated.

Not that she was in the wrong. Lucy felt her actions were completely justified. Laxus didn't move, still smirking at Lucy.

"Laxus, put her down. Now." He reluctantly complied, sending her to the floor. Lucy rubbed her back and waist, trying to get rid of all the sweat that accumulated from being trapped with what felt like a furnace against her. Still on the floor, she glared up at the lightning mage, who suddenly seemed much taller. He crossed his arms and looked down at her, a smirk on his face.

The Master of Fairy Tail, both the third and the sixth, was smarter than anyone gave him credit for. The last thing he wanted was for his children to fight and attack each other, especially if – and here he glared at Laxus, not that he noticed – one of them is his blood-related grandson. So when the perfect idea dropped into his lap, he was going to take it. One did just then, so he went for the steal.

Makarov's smile split his entire face and made all those present look at him as if he'd gone over the deep end. Their concern worsened when they heard what he said.

Taking a deep breath, the Master of Fairy Tail decreed, "Well, Laxus, since you so _kindly_ volunteered, I hereby assign you to be Lucy's personal trainer for the upcoming S-Class exams." Both blond mages protested faster than Cana could drink a barrel of alcohol.

"Old man, I can't work with her, she's too weak. I don't want to; I was going to go on a job-"

"Master, I won't train under him, he's an ass and it's too hot, I'm behind on my rent money-"

"QUIET!" Makarov thundered. They fell silent, glaring at each other with all the malice they can muster, with identical crossed arms and stiff shoulders. Despite the effort, they looked about as mature as five year-olds and Makarov couldn't help but sigh at the pair of them.

"Lucy, Natsu and Gray are going to go on so many missions this coming month that they'll have more money than they know what to do with. I'm sure they won't mind if I deduct jewels from the numerous rewards to pay for your rent this upcoming month." The girl relaxed slightly at this, before remembering that she'd rather go on missions in this heat wave, than be stuck with the sociopath next to her for a month. She re-crossed her arms and intensified her glare.

"Laxus, you don't have money problems and you did volunteer to teach her." The man didn't relax at all, resenting this weakling. If she wasn't so incredibly weak, it never would have happened in the first place.

Seeing both Laxus and Lucy still staring murderously, Makarov smacked Lucy's butt with one hand and the back of Laxus's head with the other until they switched their gazes to him.

"This is your punishment. Both of you need to control your tempers, or you're going to get yourselves, or another, killed. Both of you need to be more tolerant of each other. You are Fairy Tail, and that makes you family. Lucy, you will participate in the S-Class exams, and if you aren't up to snuff, I'm holding you both responsible," Master said seriously.

Lucy tried to think her way out of the mess, but her ace had been rent money, and it was gone. She would have run to Erza, but knowing her, the red-haired woman would have been delighted by the very idea. There was no way out.

Laxus had nothing but his own anger. Being S-Class already, finances weren't a problem for him, and his old man knew it. His Raijinshuu were caught up in the stampede for missions, so they weren't waiting for him. He glanced at the request board in desperation. No luck. It was empty, so he couldn't escape.

The two disgruntled mages tried to stall for time, but Makarov glared at them until they agreed to the training.

"Fine." They said the word at the same time, in exactly the same tone, with identical expressions on their faces. Mirajane tried not to laugh, as Makarov walked away with a smile on his face and the angry blonds retook their seats, this time several seats away from each other.

Laxus chose to bemoan his fate by downing a scotch.

_I was right_, Lucy wailed at the same time, miserably sipping on a smoothie that seemed to have lost all its flavor. _I never should have gotten out of the bathtub._ _This...this is the day my death comes for me._

Mirajane turned around from behind the bar to the sound of strange, identical '_thunk_'s.

It was the sound of two despondent foreheads hitting a wooden bar table.

* * *

So. Four pages. Not bad, ne? Dramatic Lucy is funny to write. This is post Grand Magic Games, later that same year.

Read and Review as always. Did I forget something? Did something sound weird? Tell me!


	2. Get Fast, Quick!

Sorry in advance for this long Author's Note, but you need to read this. There seems to be a lot of Lucy abuse in the next few chapters. I promise you ahead of time, I love Lucy. She's my second favorite character after Laxus. But you have to understand something. Laxus is _pissed_. He doesn't _want_ to train the weakling. He likes to lash out when he's angry. So Laxus is going to take out his anger on his new trainee an awful lot.

And, aside from his anger, any boot-camp of Laxus's, especially one to get Lucy to S-Class level, is going to be hard. To do so in a month is nearly impossible by Fairy Tail standards, so yes, I'm going to be mean to Lucy. But she's going to be BAD-ASS by the end of it. And there shall be no Mary-Sue-ing, no sudden power-up. It shall be some good old natural hard work.

Same of the LaxLu relationship. As much as these two characters do not like each other right now, they're not gonna get together without going through the dreaded _stuffs_. And since there's no handy evil villian laying around, they get to go through the _stuffs_ with no one but each other.

Credit to CupCakesYummeh for beta-ing, as always. Even if I don't always listen to you, I always listen to you.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.

* * *

Lucy slept late the next day, attempting to avoid the unfairness of the world she was currently living in, and convinced it was conspiring against her. She would rather have gotten evicted than train with a arrogant _idiot_ like Laxus. In a minor rebellion, even though she knew she was going to have to face him eventually, she refused leave her house. For one, the temperature had gone sky high, and even her shortest pair of black shorts and her bikini top weren't enough to keep her from sweating. Taking a cold bath wasn't even worth the water; as soon as she got out, she'd be hot again.

For another, she was quite sure it would take all day for Laxus to even find her house. She'd never told him where she lived. A self-satisfied smirk graced her face at her own intelligence. _I think I just got out of training for the entire day!_ Cheered, Lucy got up and walked into the kitchen when her stomach grumbled, demanding food. Too hungry for anything fancy, she slapped together a mountain of a sandwich and dug in.

"You're going to get fat if you keep eating like that."

Lucy screamed and choked on her sandwich, her face going a brilliant red. Dashing to her fridge, she gulped frantically from the carton until she could breathe again, and whirled around to glare at her intruder.

The current bane of her existence was casually leaning against the far wall, hands in his pockets and watching her as if she was the best entertainment he'd ever seen.

"What the _hell_ are you doing here? How did you even get in here?" Lucy demanded, out of breath. Now that she wasn't choking to death, she could see he'd left behind his ridiculous cloak in favor of a plain black vest and pants. He was sweating as well; a light sheen covered his cheeks and forehead. He certainly didn't look as if he'd had any difficulty finding her house.

"What's wrong with you, short-term memory loss? Time to go train, weakling," he told her, mildly annoyed.

"How did you get in here?" She turned her back to him to grab one of her last cold water bottles, accepting defeat – for now. Laxus wandered out of the room to explore.

"It's not difficult. Your window wasn't even locked." He answered, and, without Lucy knowing, entered her room. Smirking at the mess of clothes on her floor and the tangled sheets, he picked up the top paper off a pile on her desk and started reading.

"_And then the princess turns to the mighty dragon, hefts the noble prince's sword, and charges. The dragon laughs, swinging his tail at her. The great beast knocks her off-balance and she trips over her dress, but recovers and grabs- _I wasn't done with that, you know."

"Damnit, Laxus! What is _with_ dragon-slayers? Does it come with the dragon power to have no sense of privacy, you jerk?" Lucy had snatched the paper from his hands and now brandished it like a weapon, keys dangling from her hip and sneakers on her feet. Laxus shrugged his massive shoulders.

"Cute story, weakling. Only problem is that in the story, the princess manages to hold her own," the man looks up thoughtfully, and then understanding blooms on his face. "That must be the fantasy part, right? You got a really active imagination."

That was the last straw for Lucy, who immediately threw her best Lucy Kick at him. He caught it and then everything went dark.

* * *

The first thing she was aware of was her butt hitting hard, packed earth. _Oof,_ she thought, and she shakily stood up, rubbing a fierce ache on her head. A blurred smudge of yellow came into her vision. The young woman shook her head to clear it and cringed at the pain. Her eyesight sharpened until she could make out that the blurred image was Laxus, and he was smiling at her. Not a real smile, but not the condescending smirk that usually graced his face, either. It was the closest thing to genuine contentment she'd ever seen on his face.

"You hit me!" She accused, pointing at him in delayed anger.

"Yup." He sounded entirely unapologetic about it, too. As if reading her thoughts, he said, "Oi, you came at me first. Don't go getting mad at me because you lost a fight." The expression remained on his face.

Then she saw where she was, and groaned. They were in the middle of the forest. The forest was full of heat and dirt. It had roots that deliberately tripped an innocent woman for fun and disgusting, crawling things that wanted to eat you. _I hate the forest,_ Lucy pouted miserably, forgetting she was currently sitting in all that dirt, _Hate it, hate it, hate it_.

On the other hand, her companion looked like he was in his element, sitting on a large rock and resting his elbows on his knees, watching her as she figured out where she was. The clearing wasn't as bad as it could have been, she supposed. There were patches of grass, in places, and there didn't seem to be any creepy things at the moment. Rocks and stones of various sizes were scattered around.

Trees surrounded this small, circular, natural arena he'd dumped her in; one great old oak stood tall in the center, commanding her attention. It must have been hundreds of feet high. The branches reached to scrape against the sky, a brilliant blue that made Lucy lay back and smile.

That is, until a giant, white-washed stone the size of her head slammed into her stomach, making her eyes bug out. All of her breath rushed out of her in one fell swoop, and she looked around, confused, before settling her eyes on Laxus. He hadn't moved from his seat, but she was sure he'd thrown the thing. Lucy glared at him, noticing upon closer inspection that he wasn't sitting on one stone, but a cluster of them, all around the same size as the one that had just landed on her. She looked around quickly, taking everything in again without letting him out of her sight for more than a few seconds.

How could she not notice, before? Nearly everywhere she looked, she saw scorch marks; jagged black lines etched across stone and ground alike. The only thing left unscathed was the giant oak she'd been admiring. This was clearly Laxus's favorite training spot.

Another stone came hurtling at her head. This time she leaped to the side, barely dodging, and her eyes immediately snapped back to the man enjoying himself far too much.

"Nice, you actually managed to avoid that one." He launched a third stone as he said it, aiming for her feet. The young woman managed to dance backward, but tripped and fell over the rock onto her face. Laxus waited until she got up before throwing another with infuriating ease, slightly to her left. She dodged right, squealing. He nodded at her.

"Now you're getting the hang of it."

"I fail to see – ack! – how this counts as training. Are you trying to _kil-_" He wouldn't let her get even a sentence out. She tried again, speaking quickly while he was reaching backwards to grab a particularly heavy projectile.

"It's too damn hot for this, Laxus!" He paused, eyes glinting and a slightly manic grin that reminded her too much of the Fantasia fiasco.

"Yes," he answered, "yes, it is. That's why I'm not moving. I'm not going to suffer through this just because you're weak." Then he chucked the extra-heavy rock at her, and caught her shoulder. He never let up, just kept them coming, faster than any machine. No machine could aim for the bad spots like that.

After the tenth stone, the novelty of her situation wore off. After the fourteenth, she'd tried to tackle him just to escape the never-ending storm. She hadn't even gotten close. For hours Lucy's only thought was to dodge and try to breathe through the heat settling like an extra weight on her shoulders. It just went on and on and on.

* * *

When the sun reached the edge of the mountains on the horizon, Laxus paused, surveying his new trainee. Lucy was on her hands and knees, chest heaving for air. Her hair was a mess and every inch of her was covered in dirt and sweat. Her clothes were ripped. She looked positively miserable. _Good_, the man thought. _Weak things deserve misery. _

He launched another object at her, smiling evilly at the way she scrambled away before realizing it was a sandwich. She looked at him with suspicion clouding those brown eyes before tearing away the wrapping. Laxus turned, grabbed his own sandwich, and took a bite. Lucy sighed audibly in relief and started stuffing her face as quickly as she could, gulping down the water she hadn't been able to reach while fearing for her safety. It was obvious she didn't trust him. He ate quietly, studying what he had to work with.

Lucy didn't have much to go on, as far as physical training went. She was had a small waist, and a big chest. She was tall, but there was nothing to her. Laxus guessed that since she had her spirits fight for her, she'd never bothered training her own body except to stay skinny. That would make this coming month worse for her. He'd have to put a lot of muscle on her legs and arms to get her up to S-Class, or at least, his version of what an S-Class mage should be.

It'd be better to keep her lean and ready to run. Running was fine, in his opinion. He didn't have to do anything but sit in one place and tell her what to do. They'd work on that next, maybe some tree-climbing, for that monster of a tree on Tenroujima. Then, if it got hotter, he'd relent and start her on swimming. Fried had gotten him up to date on the trials before the Grimoire Heart attack. His own exam had been entirely different, but he had to admit it was a stroke of genius to have the candidates swim to the island. A lot of S-Class jobs were a lot easier if you were a good swimmer.

Laxus examined his trainee again, ignoring her curves for the moment. Or, rather, attempting to ignore them. It was hard not to notice, when her skin was glistening from sweat. Her sleeveless shirt had bunched around her ribcage and her shorts were low on her hips. He hadn't given Lucy any time to adjust her clothing during the day, and now she seemed too intent on filling her stomach to bother covering it.

But Laxus was looking for something specific. She was right not to trust him. It showed in her posture and the way she was looking at him. When the young mage's eyes went back to her sandwich, he chucked an experimental rock at her. She was gone in a flash, muscles already ready to dodge before her brain had known what he was going to do. Watching him warily, she settled down farther away and scarfed down the rest of her food.

Lucy was still tensed and her body still defensive. Laxus grinned where she couldn't see him. It was progress. It was a start.

* * *

Gonna have to split this chapter. I know it's a little short, but this is a natural place to stop. It looks like I'll have to split what I thought I could cover in one chapter, into three! I originally planned this chapter to cover the first week and a half, get all the physical training out of the way. Ooops. **Review** as always, again sorry about the excessive Author's Notes this chapter.

Edit: I'm sorry! This length is strange. I mean, I knew it was bad when I cut it off, but it's especially bad now that it's in my doc manager. The next chapter is just as short, unfortunately. I can't give both to you now, as an apology like I was going to, because I'd fall behind and then it would take weeks for me to update. So a little shortness now means less waiting later, kay? Please stick it out for the time being and read Koibito, which I just updated to distract you, or 50 Moments, which I'll update in the next few days.


	3. Shocked

Nothing today! Just bear with me and we'll get through fine. Love for CupCakesYummeh, beta extrordinaire.

Disclaimer: I don't own a fairy. I do own a tail, a fox one. But I don't own Fairy Tail.

* * *

He tossed boulders at her for fun for a full four days. Her entire body was black and blue, and more than once she wanted to call out Loke and complain to him so he'd go pummel her sadistic 'mentor'. She couldn't. Not because he'd taken her keys, but because she couldn't get a second to herself, and by the end of the day she didn't have the strength to move, never mind the magic to needed to summon.

Lucy learned to get up at dawn, eat, and go back to bed afterwards. He came for her at eight a.m. When she invariably resisted him, Laxus would equally invariably knock her out and dump her as he'd done that first day. He had no qualms about it, even if she hadn't eaten yet. He barely gave enough warning to get dressed. She was fed at sunset and went home at midnight to start again the next morning. Lunch became the stuff of fairy tales, a legend that you only half-believed existed.

After the usual refusal and subsequent blackness, Lucy again woke up in the clearing. This time she didn't wait for her vision to clear – those precious few minutes had been a first-day luxury.

"You got faster. I haven't even slammed your stomach yet," Laxus said casually from his mini-throne of stones. Lucy watched him warily. He'd tried to distract her with conversation the third day.

"It's okay, you can come out. Today you're doing something different." No response. Laxus sighed, and chucked a rock at her head. She ducked, and looked back up, but he was gone from his seat.

"I told you, today you're not dodging," he said behind her, voice lowered. She flinched, but stayed in place, only turning around to meet his eyes. She crossed her arms.

"About time, hardass. What's on the agenda for today? Oh, wait, let me guess. Does it have to do with a volcano?" Lucy glared, pushing his shoulder a little. His eyes narrowed at her attitude. She noticed, and danced back as if he'd tossed another rock. Lucy wasn't scared of him, and she could tell it annoyed the man who was used to being intimidating. She was just being careful.

_She's getting perceptive,_ Laxus thought, only enforcing his decision to change tactics.

"No. Today, you're gonna run." _Seriously, running?_ Lucy sighed. That wasn't much different from dodging, though she'd appreciate the lack of bruises. Her body was starting to look like a patchwork of black, blue, and purple. She resigned herself to the inevitable.

"How long?"

"Until I tell you to stop." _That arrogant..._Lucy didn't even finish the thought in her head.

"Arrogant jerk. Where am I supposed to do this running?" He lazily twirled his finger in a circle as he put his SoundPod on, indicating the edge of the clearing. Where there would be the most roots to trip her. Of course he'd make her run there. Why should any of this be bearable?

Lucy grabbed her water bottle and started jogging, then glanced back at the man responsible for her torture. It really was hot, and she didn't want to run or follow any of this guy's orders. Laxus's eyes were closed. He had his headphones on. He wouldn't be able to tell the difference if she slowed down a little, right? Experimenting, the woman slowed to a walk.

She managed about three steps before she heard a lazy, "I didn't say to walk, weakling. I said to run." Lucy grumbled and picked up her pace. _How is that even possible? _He couldn't see her, couldn't hear her, so how had he known? She didn't realize she'd spoken that last thought aloud until she heard him chuckle quietly as she passed him, sitting on the ground with his back against the great oak tree. The young mage blushed and angled her head downward, in case he could see it, and kept running.

* * *

It was worse. Lucy moaned when he let her stop and tossed her the ration for the day, wishing for the peaceful days where all she had to worry about was getting a few dents in her skull. The muscles of her legs wouldn't let her stand. She looked like she'd just taken a bath, sweat dripping down every part of her to make small puddles on the forest floor. The only upside was that she couldn't smell herself.

Laxus practically had to drag her home later that night. She could barely walk, and it was one in the morning by the time she collapsed into bed without even proper bath. At dawn she ate, showered, and resisted enough that he'd have to carry her, but not enough that he'd feel the need to knock her out. She congratulated herself the entire, heat-filled trip that she'd managed to manipulate him into giving her a free ride, minus the concussion. Even if she was slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatos and a few people – brave enough to be out and about in the heat wave, and so brave enough to risk angering Laxus – wolf-whistled at the sight.

The second day was worse than the first, and then every day after that. Lucy's legs were already seizing up when he dropped her on the fourth, and only worsened with every step. He didn't let her walk, making her continuously run and run and run until she dropped. When she did, he'd throw a stone at her. Very rarely, he'd let her lay on the ground for a few minutes and toss her the water bottle. These rests were only when her heart was pounding and lifting her head made her dizzy; he didn't want to give the woman heatstroke, after all, and he could hear her heartbeat.

Lucy lay on the ground for the sunset break, too weak to even be hungry. She felt like she'd throw up if she tried to eat. Sweat poured down her face in buckets, stinging her eyes and soaking her hair and clothes. The dirt stuck to the sweat, making her look far more tan than she was. There were blisters everywhere and her feet were bleeding.

"Hey, weakling, that was pathetic. You know it, and I know it. A tortoise is faster than-"

Now, Lucy was not a vain young woman. She knew that clothes and looks were not half as important as the inside of a person. Part of the reason she'd left her Heartfilia fortune was the strain of polite conversation with people who had feathers for brains, at best.

But she still liked looking nice. She liked having clean, soft feet that didn't leave bright red tracks on the ground when she moved them. She liked having clean, shiny hair, and soft skin that wasn't covered in dirt. She liked being able to wear things without worrying if they were durable enough. She especially liked looking nice around members of the opposite sex, sadistic and mean as some of those members might be.

So when Laxus opened his big mouth to taunt her again, it was perfectly reasonable that she would throw one of his stupid stones back in his face. It was a great deal smaller than the ones she'd dodged – she didn't have to strength to pick up anything bigger than one of her hands.

"You're going to regret doing that, princess," the man across from her threatened. _Had he expected that?_ Lucy wondered. _Probably not. _There was a round red mark on the side of his face, and small strips of lightning began to dance across his body before Lucy thought to run. She made to get up, but her legs were not having it. Her feet wouldn't even respond. Before she could blink, Laxus shocked her.

In a word, it was agony. Power, his power, raced through her, shocking her muscles and lighting her insides on fire until she _screamed _with all the strength she had left. It was far worse than the pain of her Second Origin, worse than any beating she'd ever gotten from an opponent. Not only because of the pure physical pain, but because it was her nakama doing it, someone she trusted to a degree because he wore the same guild mark as the one on her hand.

It lasted only a moment, in reality. When it was over, she collapsed, barely able to breathe, barely able to see through her tears. Her muscles twitched occasionally on their own, sending another lick of fire through her, a ghost of the shock.

* * *

Lucy slowly became aware of her surroundings again. Someone was picking her up, wrapping one hand around her shoulders and another behind her knees, amazingly gentle and warm. Safe in the knowledge that a man as cruel as Laxus had just been couldn't possibly be carrying her so carefully, she managed to lift her shaking arms to wrap around her savior's neck. She burrowed her face into they mystery man's shoulder and inhaled, smelling the forest and the way the air smelled after it rained, and something masculine that she couldn't identify. Lucy drifted to sleep in this stranger's arms, feeling safe and warm.

* * *

He'd gotten her into bed, given her the pain medication he kept handy, just in case he was ambushed. With no other way to help, Laxus went to the other side of the house, as far away as possible, and sunk down to the floor, his back against a wall and his head nearly to his knees. He didn't even know what room he was in.

Silence. Except...except he could still hear her breathing softly in sleep, so different from her cutting remarks at him. Or her earlier scream.

Silence.

The man slammed the side of his fist into the wall, clenching his teeth, grinding them. How long had it been since he lost control like that, hurt someone he hadn't meant to? Since before he was exiled. The wall cracked when he slammed it again, a spiderweb of fine lines radiating from his hand.

He could hear her moan in her sleep. Nightmares.

_Shit._ He dropped his head, pulled his hands into his lap and stared at his palms, unseeing. He hadn't meant to scare her. He hadn't even meant to touch her. His lightning had leaped of its own accord, following its master's anger and frustration. He'd wanted to...what had he wanted to do? He didn't even know.

Laxus had hurt a guildmate. A member of his family. No matter how much she'd annoyed him...annoyed him? More like frustrated him with her constant questions and her over the top temper. _But I had the anger problem,_ he reminded himself, _I was the one who caused real pain. _

He dragged a shaking hand back through his hair and resigned himself to a lot of sleepless nights. He heard another soft moan upstairs.

Starting with tonight. _I'll make her breakfast,_ he thought, _and apologize._ No matter how much he hated apologizing, Laxus realized he'd do it over and over if it meant Lucy wasn't terrified of him in the morning.

* * *

I'm sorry about the shortness, lately. Where this, the last, and the next were supposed to be one chapter, I had to cut it somewhere, and the natural place was unfortunately a third of the way, and then this ending two thirds of the way. I was hoping to cut it halfway, but that would mean cutting this chapter in half, and I couldn't find a good stopping point.

Sorry for the drama in this chapter. It was not intended and I fully expect to be writing humor next time and for the rest of the fic. Except I guess the actual exams, which would count as adventure, right?

Review, Review, Review!


	4. From One Nakama to Another

-cowers- Can't talk right now, speed-writing. Seems Laxus isn't the only one who's got some sucking up to do, so please take these next two chapters as a heartfelt apology. Credit to CupCakes for beta-ing.

Disclaimer: You should know better by now. I don't own Fairy Tail.

* * *

Lucy woke up with a suspiciously small amount of pain considering what she'd done yesterday. Especially considering that she'd gotten electrocuted to top it all off. She was, of course, set on murdering the cause of her brief foray into what lightning felt like. There was even a mental plan in place, involving some extremely creative one-liners and an explosion or two. She wasn't sure whether she'd let the guild master know beforehand, but-

"Yo, I-"

"Lucy KICK!" Laxus flew several feet and smacked against the opposite wall of her room with a sickening sound. If she wasn't mistaken, that was his skull against the wood, and if she checked there – yes, his nose was broken.

Okay, maybe she wasn't angry enough to get him expelled anymore. That was one hell of a satisfying crunch. But he was unconscious now, and she immediately felt kind of bad. Lucy liked to keep her victims awake, if they weren't threatening the safety of her guild or guild mates. While she had the opportunity, she bent down to study his injured face.

Aside from the broken nose and the resulting blood, he looked almost ill. She hadn't noticed before she tackled him. Dark smudges were underneath his closed eyes, prominent against the unnatural paleness of his skin and the crimson evidence of her attack. Laxus looked like he hadn't slept all night, and when she lifted his right hand, it was broken but unwrapped and uncared for.

Lucy wasn't heartless, typically, and the traitorous organ definitely went out to the man currently bleeding all over her floor. She sighed – she seemed to be doing that a lot, recently – and left, heading for her hallway closet, always stacked high to the ceiling with enough medical supplies for several armies.

One cursory glance at the kitchen on the way, and she was stopped dead. Her small kitchen was cleaner than it'd been in ages, and soft, dappled light came in through her window- Lucy placed the time at around noon. Despite the time, there were two plates set on the table, filled with every breakfast food she could imagine. The smell of bacon and maple syrup and scrambled eggs all combined into a heavenly aroma and floated toward her. It all looked and smelled delicious, and she felt like a horrible person for knocking him unconscious when it was clear he'd done this for her.

Blushing at the thought that Laxus had a sweet side, Lucy hunted deep in the medical wilderness for some gauze, nearly up to her shoulders in supplies. Got it, she thought victoriously when the right material brushed against her fingers. After extricating a roll with some difficulty, she grinned and dumped it on the floor, ready for the next challenge.

Debating, she reached high, balancing on her toes, searching for her best pain medication. It wasn't as good as what he was probably used to – she glanced at a bottle label, before putting it back and choosing another. She was moving without much pain, only a minor stiffness, so he'd given her something, as well as checked up on her and cooked her breakfast.

_Further proof I can't hate him_, Lucy thought, grinding her teeth slightly in irritation. She really, really wanted to detest this man she was stuck with. And didn't she have a good reason? She was electrocuted! _But no,_ she thought, annoyed. He had to be _guilty_ instead of arrogant. And _sincere_ in place of his usual mocking. And _unconscious _as opposed aggravating, which made her feel merciful when she looked at his slack face. And her mercy only made her more mad! This man had her going in circles.

Lucy hastily piled everything into her arms, glaring at nothing and kicking the door closed with one foot. The sound echoed and the mage cringed, hoping that slam hadn't traveled upstairs and woken her patient.

* * *

Laxus was still out, a small blessing that Lucy really appreciated. She hesitated at the doorway. _The man's not even awake, Lucy, pull yourself together!, _she berated herself. Gathering her courage, she thought, _even if he was, he's not gonna hurt me, right? You don't make breakfast for someone you're going to hurt! _Armed with these facts, she stomped into the room with more confidence than she felt and dumped her armful of supplies on the ground and knelt next to him. Quickly, she grabbed his jaw and forced the pain meds down, not caring if she was rough. She looked him over and half-wanted him to suffer, but her stupid conscience kept getting in the way, so Lucy moaned and continued.

She washed the blood from his nose and the back of his head with practiced hands, and wrapped both his head and hand swiftly. But she wasn't a healer – she couldn't fix broken bones like Wendy could. Luckily the sky dragon-slayer had told Lucy she wasn't interested in becoming S-Class after what happened last time, so Wendy was still in town and not on a job.

She was still working on his hand when Laxus squinted his eyes open and lifted his good hand, fingers buried in his hair as if he were trying to scrape the pain away. It seemed her medicines weren't as good as she thought.

"Sorry," Lucy said softly, and wiped at his top lip, smudging drops of new blood from his nose.

"Shouldn't...shouldn't I be saying that?" he muttered, looking away from her at the floor and shifting, distinctly uncomfortable. Lucy decided to let him off the hook. She'd bring it up later, when they were both well enough to yell and taunt each other again.

"Apology accepted, then," she told him. She still had his hand in both of hers, though she'd finished wrapping. Laxus looked at her, frowning, and then nodded. The action made his face tighten from the pain.

"You're going to have to see Wendy, though, so I'm sorry," Lucy continued. "I must be getting fast, if you didn't block it." The injured man wouldn't meet her eyes, and nodded again, slowly, to keep the headache at bay. _Did he...get hit on purpose?_ Lucy thought, eyes widening. Suddenly she felt a little less irritated at her own merciful side, and wrapped her arms around the dragon-slayer's waist.

_Fraternizing with the enemy_, Lucy thought wryly, but Laxus wasn't an enemy. A foe didn't make her breakfast. An adversary didn't let her hit him because he was sorry. Someone who wanted to hurt her didn't give her the best damn painkillers she'd ever had. Maybe it was those painkillers talking, or maybe it was the lengths this man had gone to be forgiven, but she was suddenly certain that he _was_ her nakama, her friend, despite knowing it in her head for ages now.

* * *

To Laxus's credit, his muscles stiffened when she touched him, bracing for an attack that never came, and then relaxed. He wasn't returning the hug, but he wasn't rejecting it either, like he'd done to other people in the past – and when he really thought about it, the main person he'd pushed away was Fried. Lucy, unlike Fried or the rest of his team, was warm and soft, and she didn't cry or pounce. He wasn't about to push all that away from him.

The two stayed that way for some time, until Laxus cleared his throat and Lucy sat back, blushing.

"I made breakfast, if you're hungry. It'll be cold by now, but..." he shrugged his massive shoulders against the wall, a faint shade of pink dusting his cheeks. _Probably embarrassment,_ Lucy giggled. _He's not the type to do nice things, normally._

"I know, I saw. It smelled delicious. I didn't peg you as the cooking type," she teased, standing and wrinkling her nose. Kneeling for so long had given her that pins-and-needles feeling in her lower legs. She rubbed them as he frowned up at her from the floor, and then braced herself to help him stand.

"I don't walk around wearing frilly aprons, but I can't go out eating every night of the week. I had to learn to cook for myself at some point," Laxus retorted, accepting her hand and pulling himself up with a slight glare. The young woman laughed loudly at the mental image and didn't respond, instead sauntering into the kitchen. Laxus glared a little more fiercely at her back, guessing what she laughed at.

"I _don't_." Sounding slightly defensive, Laxus followed her, watching her track down something to heat their food. Lucy picked up the second plate and raised her eyebrows. Waving away the wordless offer with one hand, he muttered, "Don't bother, I gotta go over to the guild thanks to you, don't I? I'll pick you up after. Eat quick. I'll throw you over my shoulder again if you make me."

"Wait, we're still training?" Lucy asked, moaning pitifully and slumping against the counter before retrieving her plate of food. She stuffed a piece of toast in her mouth and nearly moaned again. Apparently Laxus was a four-star cook. _He should wear a chef hat, _she thought evilly, and promptly choked on the mental image. She coughed until Laxus had to come around the table to pound her on the back.

"You were just nearly murdered by a piece of toast, so yeah, we are. Besides, that kick was so slow a snail could have blocked you. Heck, it could have dodged you," he mocked, stealing a strip of her bacon and heading for the door. She trailed after him and found him sitting on the floor and shoving his boots on, her bacon clenched between his front teeth sideways, like a dog with a bone.

"Well, excuse _me_ for being a little slow after getting struck by _lightning_!" Lucy pouted, making sure that the man knew she was joking by tugging the collar of his shirt and making a grab for her precious breakfast. In retaliation he stood, turned around, and moved his head so the bacon was out of her reach, all in one fluid motion. He tugged her hair, none too gently.

"Nah, not excused. A non-weakling wouldn't let one attack slow them down that much." Laxus's mouth lifted in the corners and let her know he was teasing her, too. She tossed a flip-flop at him and he left, laughing lightly. She raced to close the door after him, not wanting even more heat to get in. The heat wave had thankfully not increased the last few days, but why push her luck? Lucy went to retrieve her flip-flop, and froze, bent double, fingers hooked around the sandal.

Wait, wait. When had she become comfortable enough with Laxus Dreyar that she was willing to steal food out of his mouth and toss shoes at him? When had she lost the venom that had so easily flowed from her tongue only a week or so ago? For both of them, _where had all the intimidation and rage gone?_

He'd _electrocuted_ her yesterday. _Or, well, two days ago?_ The spirit mage was a little fuzzy on the amount of time that she'd spent sleeping off the attack. But that was beside the point. She should have been _furious_ when she woke, and she was. Entirely hell-bent on revenge. For about five seconds. Just a few moments ago she'd been teasing him as he walked out the door!

Lucy stared for another second, uncharacteristically shrugged, and went back to finish her breakfast before it was cold again. This was too much to think about with a headache and an empty stomach, so she tossed the big, unanswerable questions to the back of her head. All that thinking would do was mess with her head, and she had enough stress in her life as it was.

* * *

Cutting this in half. It's better this way, I promise, and I'm giving you both halves at the same time. Don't freak about the shortness, please, as it _is_ only half, but this works better with the story. I added stuff after CupCakes beta'd, so if anything's weird, feel free to mention it. I have no issue editing my work.

On another, less serious note, I really can't get this image out of my head: Laxus in a simple white apron, jacket gone, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, first few buttons undone. In my head he's barefoot, frying bacon for Lucy when she wakes up, spatula in one hand, frying pan in the other. Maybe I'll do a companion one-shot collection for this much much later. His cooking for her could be a one-shot, because you don't get to see that here.

I also can't banish the image of Laxus in a frilly pink apron and chef hat, but for entirely different reasons. The first thought is adorable. The second is hilarious. Sorry about the long A/N, it's late and I didn't expect to be editing this, only posting it. But I found one sentence I didn't like and ended up adding about four paragraphs, heh.

~Tory (You can call me Tory. Have I already said that?)


	5. Is It Hormones, Maybe?

So, yes, I did say I was cutting this in half, hmm? An immediate follow-up. See, I may make you wait when I have no choice, but I make up for it! CupCakes beta'd this, but she assumed this would connect with the part where Laxus left her apartment to find Wendy in the previous chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. There isn't enough Laxus in the manga right now. I somehow feel they made what Flare did to Lucy less evil in the anime, I'm not sure I like it. I like the part with Natsu, though. They made that better than the manga. (The most recent subbed episode being 159 as of this chapter being written and posted.)

* * *

He made good on his word the moment he returned to her apartment. She'd never doubted his threat, honestly. Laxus carried her to the arena over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and dropped her, although she noticed it was much shorter trip to ground this time. He'd bent over first, and she smiled at the small concession.

"Tree climbing," her mentor announced, crossing his arms and frowning down at her. She looked up at him and squinted to see his face framed by the bright blue sky.

"Tree climbing?" Lucy repeated, not sure that she'd heard him right. He gestured to the great oak she loved so much in answer.

"Climb, little spirit mage, climb," he drawled in a deadpan. Lucy twitched at his tone but obeyed, in good spirits because of the late start and the events of the day so far. Gripping the lowest branch and swinging her legs up, she looked at her companion upside-down, elbows and knees locked to keep her from falling.

"Why am I doing this again?" Hey, just because she was obeying, didn't mean she wasn't going to protest. The heat today was bordering on ridiculous, even if the actual temperature hadn't budged in either direction. It made her palms slick and handholds dicey, at best. Besides, every so often her legs would spasm, reminding her that she got electrocuted not even twenty-four hours ago. The blood began to rush to her head, suspended as she was, and she threw her head back as far as it would go to meet his upside-down eyes.

"You look like a sloth," Laxus informed her with a straight face. She glared slightly and pulled herself around the branch into a sitting position. He continued when she was settled. "Rack your brain. Remember what Tenroujima looked like?" he asked her, sitting with his back against the trunk.

"Ah, yeah, it was beautiful! It was covered in green and had this giant...oh." Lucy's voice got very quiet toward the end. She saw the man beneath her give a wicked smirk, close his eyes, and place his Sound Pod on his ears, not uttering a word. "He doesn't have to look quite so comfortable," she muttered softly to herself as he crossed his legs, stretching them out in front of him.

* * *

Lucy kept climbing for the rest of the day, gathering an impressive collection of splinters and hissing whenever a tree limb whipped around to scratch her skin. Laxus yelled at her to come down at the usual time, and as she let her eyes lift from potential handholds and glanced outwards, her breath hitched.

There before her was a beautiful view of Magnolia, lit up by the sky in splashes of brilliant orange and rich red. And there, in the very corners of the canvas, were slight hints of a rosy pink the same color as her mark. It looked like it belonged in a masterpiece painting. She stared; not wanting to blink and miss something, until Laxus called again, ruining the moment, wondering what was taking her so long. Slightly frightened at the prospect of getting down, she grit her teeth and cautiously climbed from branch to branch until she was just a few feet away and-

"Eeek!" _Thump._

She'd landed on Laxus, who'd been looking up in mild irritation, wondering how the hell his trainee had gotten herself lost in a single tree. _Now we're both on the ground, at least,_Lucy sighed, and then froze, realizing the position she was in when her hands met warm flesh instead of the expected cold earth.

Lucy was lying on top of her companion, his back in the dirt. They were pressed together from hip to chest, their legs tangled. Laxus's hands had somehow ended up her waist, probably in an attempt to catch her. Lucy tentatively opened her eyes, to see Laxus's eyes inches from her own.

For a split second, neither of them moved, save their cheeks turning red. Lucy stared at his eyes; she'd never seen such a beautiful blue. They had a grayish tint to them, but it didn't make them look less blue, somehow. Then suddenly he blinked; the spell was broken, and Lucy rolled off him alarmingly fast.

Laxus sat up, slightly dazed, and handed Lucy her sandwich. She took it silently and began eating, using smaller bites for once – tree-climbing had taken less energy than running or dodging. Laxus copied her absently, not really tasting what he was eating.

_That was…I don't even know what that __was!_ Lucy inwardly panicked. _He…he was warm. And his eyes…so __beautiful__…_ Lucy lost track of her thoughts as she remembered, mentally admiring Laxus's eyes while she still had the memory fresh in her brain.

"You're fine with climbing," he said abruptly, jarring her out of her thoughts as she jumped. "It's the one thing you're good at naturally, so you won't have any problems if you need to climb the tree for the exam."

"Was that a compliment from the _great_ Laxus Dreyar?" Lucy recovered shakily, elbowing him in the ribs. The man growled slightly but let it go.

"Be happy. Swimming's next," he grumbled. Lucy's smile lit up her face. He was tempted to hit something, personally, but controlled his temper, remembering what happened last time. He really didn't want to teach her, not after she'd used him like a landing pad. He could still feel her curves against him; still feel the heat of her body. Seeing her in a bikini was _not _going to be helpful.

Watching Lucy's face, which had grown bright enough to power the whole of Magnolia, he realized with dismay that he couldn't, wouldn't take it back now. His little apprentice was way too happy at the mere thought. Laxus sighed and felt sweat roll down his back. _At least_, he thought, resigned, _if I swim too, it won't feel so hot._

He studiously ignored the idea that a bikini-clad Lucy in the water with him would spell utter disaster, stuffing the rest of his food in his mouth all at once. Lucy laughed at the half-angry, half-morbid look on his face as he viciously attacked his innocent sandwich. Laxus reached to shove her shoulder with one hand and pull her foot with the other, forcing her into a backwards somersault. She emerged from her tangle covered in grass stains and spitting like a wet cat as he smugly sat back and drank from a water bottle, his mood much improved.

* * *

Lucy awakened far past her usual dawn schedule with a smile gracing her features. _Wait, why am I smiling?_

The memories rushed back into her head, all at once, jumbled, as she sorted through them. She'd gotten shocked by Laxus's power. He'd made her breakfast, and she'd landed a hit on him. _Okay_, she nodded, _but that wouldn't..._

Lucy's face lit up with a blush when she remembered landing on her companion for the month. That had been a _very_ compromising position. Had anyone seen them, a bystander would've thought… _No! I will not think of 'that' with him!_

Shoving those dangerous thoughts away, Lucy's smile nearly doubled. _Yes! Swimming! _The young blond squealed, threw off the covers, and jumped up and down in the center of her room, throwing her fist in the air. No more heat! Cold water! She hoped it'd be icy, and squealed again at the very thought.

"Geez, princess, lower the volume a little. It's too hot to be spending that much energy so early," Laxus reprimanded, padding into her room barefoot with his finger in one ear. Lucy continued jumping for joy in nothing but a skimpy tank-top and pajama shorts. The man smirked and commented, "Hearts? Seriously?"

"Don't you know how to _knock_?" Lucy asked, exasperated, and threw a pillow in the direction of his voice without turning. He caught it and tossed it back at her in a single motion. Lucy whipped around and dodged. She scowled at Laxus, intending to berate him, and froze.

Her companion had his right shoulder leaning on her door frame; his arms were crossed and he was supporting his weight mostly on one side. That was all normal. She'd come to expect that the man would never stand on his own power if he had a choice. What made her stop was his choice in attire. He wore only a pair of sweatpants, a pair that rode low on his hips and exposed more muscle than Lucy believed existed in a person.

Lucy's skin darkened to hot crimson, her eyes glued to carved outline of the hip currently taking all his weight, and was suddenly very aware of her current state of undress. Her hands reached up to touch her own cheek, and felt heat against her palm. Laxus raised his eyebrows at her odd behavior, eyes glancing down at himself and then flicking back up to her face, confused.

"Do I have something on me? Why are you staring?" Lucy tore her eyes from him but found she couldn't look him in the face. Seeking escape, she turned, groping for her white halter-top one-piece, the only solid bathing suit she owned among a sea of bikinis, and also the only suit that had a chance of surviving the training. As soon as she felt material against her fingers, she was out of there, darting to her bathroom and slamming the door.

Laxus shrugged and stole one of her towels. The heat had baked him all the way to Lucy's house, and now he was free to wipe off the sheen of sweat that had accumulated on his entire upper body during the walk, without being yelled at for getting Lucy's towel all sweaty. After he was done, he sniffed the cloth, shrugged again, and tossed it on the ground on his way out. Maybe Lucy would have food.

* * *

Lucy would never have noticed the poor state of her towel or the imminent emptying of her fridge, since she was currently attempting to not hyperventilate and pass out in her bathroom. Lucy listed it all in her head again: egotistical, arrogant, self-important, privacy-killing, psychopathic... but reminding herself of Laxus's bad side didn't help at all, despite the electrocution. She had a nagging suspicion that it had been a horrible accident.

He was stuck in this situation same as her, with the same punishment. He seemed to be genuinely trying to help her hold her own in the upcoming exams. He'd made her breakfast. He'd let her hit him, guilt overriding pride – which she just knew must have killed him, since he was such a proud man. He'd enabled her to see that beautiful sunset. He'd joked around with her, actually letting her tease him without blowing up immediately after.

Lucy thumped her head against the tiles of her bathroom, softly. She could only think in circles, naming two good actions to counter every bad thing he'd done to her so far. The young woman sighed, pulled on her bathing suit while still in the cool water, and left the tub.

* * *

The bane of her existence – this confusion had only cemented his title in her mind – was rustling through her fridge when she walked into her kitchen, dripping wet. Lucy was immensely proud of herself when she sat down at the small table and only mildly stared at Laxus's back, taut muscles sliding underneath lightly tanned skin. She glanced away when he stood so he wouldn't catch her, sure that she'd kill him if he noticed and made any arrogant comments. He seemed completely unaware of her mental issues, tossing her an orange while he bit into an apple. Apparently Laxus had found her fridge lacking.

They ate quietly, Laxus watching Lucy, attempting to decide whether or not he'd have to carry her again, while Lucy attempted to not watch Laxus as he casually reclined on his chair, balancing it on the back two legs. The minutes ticked by, excruciatingly slow, at least for her.

Thankfully, he rose and tossed the apple core backwards into her trashcan without looking. She was momentarily distracted from his body by the action, and grumbled under her breath that he was a show-off. In return, he strutted away, deliberately gloating. She rolled her eyes at his back.

"What, no ride?" Lucy whined, trying not to sound like a child. Personally, she was kind of glad, torn between her evil side – a curious, devious little voice that wanted to goad Laxus into throwing her over his shoulder, a voice that was clearly delusional – and her sensible self. Her smart self, which didn't want to go anywhere near him, and was loudly demanding to know where Lucy's brain was, that she was even ogling Laxus's strong body in the first place.

She was leaning towards devious and attempting to answer to her pious half when the man causing all this distress turned halfway and grabbed her, towing her along and dashing all her hopes to pieces. Too much contact for her angelic purity, not enough contact for her mischevious mind. Lucy rudely told both sides of her brain to kindly _shut it_, because the mage was beginning to believe she had split-personality disorder from all the stress. This gave a new meaning to "pulled in two different directions".

_It's going to be a long couple of days_, Lucy predicted dismally as Laxus pulled her out the door by her wrist. Someone wolf-whistled at the pair of them, and Lucy glared, but inwardly only sighed. A shirtless lightning dragon-slayer pulling a young woman along while she stumbled behind him, trying to keep up in only a sexy bathing suit and flip-flops? No wonder the stranger had gotten the wrong idea. Hearing more cat-calls and jeers as the pair walked up the main streets of Magnolia, Lucy quietly amended her previous prediction.

_Who am I kidding? It's going to b__e a __long __month_.

* * *

Review lots, kay? Oh, the mental image of a shirtless, shiny Laxus leaning on Lucy's doorframe. -drool- No, there will not be an official swimming chapter, because Lucy gets to reflect on his yumminess during meditation next. And basically in every chapter thereafter, because who could spend a large amount of time alone with Laxus and not notice?

Another note: I feel like I'm adding too much LaxLu, too fast. There's a whole lot of it here, I know, and it seems like they're picking up speed, but I'm trying to make them stumble forward along the proverbial path of loves. So what better way to do that than have lots of awkward things happen and then have the characters freak, eh?

Besides, there _will_ be chapters that aren't stuffed full of LaxLu in the far future, due to plot, so I'm sort of giving you extra moments now. And when I say far future, I mean it. Ten chapters total? Hah, I'll be lucky if we get to the exams before the fifteenth.

No, Lucy will not be developing multiple or split-personality disorder. I just think she's very tired, very confused, and very stressed out; her brain says one thing while her body says another. And her heart? Well, that's the story, isn't it?

~Tory.


	6. His Peace of Mind (Plus Author Apology)

TOP EDIT MUST READ. Oh gods, am I embarrassed. This has dragged on way past holiday season and I just completely dropped the ball. Guys, I'm sorry. A heartfelt apology to every single reader and reviewer, because I never meant for this much waiting. It was not my intention to make you beg for a chapter. However, as I am _still_ pressed for time, I'm going to post this. This is the un-edited version of the next installment. I was dragging my feet on posting primarily because I wanted to change this chapter quite a bit. I'm not at all happy with it. I'll probably replace this when I finish, so consider this the...the I-had-my-beta-do-her-thing-on-it-several-months-ago-and-she-liked-it-but-I-got-picky-and-decided-that-it-wasn't-fit-for-reader's-eyes-so-I-putzed-around-and-now-I-feel-guilty-and-have-to-give-you-something rough draft. Also left my author's notes from the original.

* * *

I'm rushing to do this and I'm not quite sure how to accomplish it, but what's actually new about that? I decided to time-skip swimming, and start with Laxus at his house, getting ready for Lucy! Because this was kind of pivotal in my planning, and part of it would be lost if I tried to write it any other way than I'm about to. Credit to CupCakesYummeh. Because she's CupCakes! And I like cupcakes. (Sorry, dear. Sorry, sorry, sorry.)

Disclaimer: Be serious, now. What do you think would be happening right now if I were in charge of Fairy Tail? And what's actually happening? Yeah. Thought so.

* * *

_Another morning, another day of training the princess_, Laxus Dreyar sighed silently. He rolled over in his giant bed, letting the air-conditioner hit his bare chest, creating goosebumps. The action made the thin sheet that was his only covering twist low around his hips._ It's really too hot to be doing this,_ he thought miserably, lamenting his recent change of occupation from S-Class mage to patient instructor. If he'd been free to do as he wanted, Laxus would be on a snowy mountaintop right now, happily shocking the fur off some monster for easy cash. The dragon-slayer savored that image for a moment, and then gave up. Even with the cool air turned on full-blast, there wasn't enough cold in all of Magnolia to hold that icy thought in his head.

He disentangled himself from the sheet, swung his legs over the side of his bed and stood, blindly stumbling his way to the bathroom without opening his eyes.

While in the shower, Laxus took the time to silently curse his grandfather again. The words had become a ritual, repeated every morning since Makarov had dumped Lucy on him with the demand he make her S-Class worthy.

* * *

"_This is impossible, old man," Laxus insisted. He leaned his back against the closed oak door of Makarov's personal office, and crossed his arms for emphasis._

"_It won't be that bad," his grandfather told him, inordinately cheerful. The younger man could practically hear him grinning, and rolled his eyes. _

"_I don't know what you're playing at here, but I won't do it." There was no way he was going to teach the smart-mouthed newbie, order or no order. He also ignored the fact that she'd been a Fairy Tail member for over seven years. New was new, time-gap or no._

"_Yes, you will," the master said, sounding so unconcerned that Laxus squinted, trying to see his face in the dim light. Dawn hadn't come quite yet, so he could barely see Makarov's silhouette against the window. _

"_No, I won't. I refuse to train her."_

"_Then leave." Two short words, but Laxus stiffened as if they were physical blows that he couldn't block. _

"_W-What?" the dragon-slayer choked out, past his surprise._

"_If you refuse to train her, your alternate punishment is a forced leave of absence," Makarov said seriously._

"_So, you'll expel me again. Just because it worked once, doesn't mean you gotta use it all the time, y'know," Laxus said, scowling. He stood away from the wall and uncrossed his arms, prepared for anything. _

"_No, I won't expel you. An expulsion is indefinite. You would be able to come back...after a year or two," his evil grandfather added. There was a long beat of silence where he actually considered it._

"_Fine." And with that, Fairy Tail's newest instructor swept out of the room, his cloak billowing behind him. Makarov beamed and turned to watch the sunrise paint the sky. _A new dawn_, the master mage thought, full of glee._

* * *

Lately, his old man had to be feeling the wrath all the way from the mid-sized house sitting modestly on the edge of the Magnolian forest. Laxus's curses only got more creative with time, and today was especially brutal. Finally, he turned off the water and grabbed his favorite bathing suit; black with yellow lightning bolts. He remembered he'd worn the same outfit months ago, and smiled at the memory. Taking Mavis to the amusement park, seeing the rest of Fairy Tail there... His smile widened as he recalled the widespread destruction that Natsu had caused, and his eyes darkened slightly when he remembered the state of Lucy's bikini in the aftermath. Not that he'd noticed much, at the time.

The impromptu mentor had spent the last few days in a kind of hellish torture that Makarov would have found hilarious, unless he were in similar circumstances. Three days of teaching Lucy to swim. He'd wanted to call it off the moment he'd let her set foot in the water. Lucy in her white one-piece that was somehow more tempting than the skimpiest bikini, floating and sighing in pleasure at the cooling effect of the water, her mood untouchable despite the deliberately high amount of laps he set for her.

For _three days_.

He'd been swimming with her by the end of the first, half of him trying to drown himself, and half of him hoping that all the laps he made her do would compromise her suit.

Laxus dressed and decided to introduce her to something different, something that most likely wouldn't come up in the exams. Something that he needed desperately, because, quite frankly, his nerves were a little frayed, and he was blaming it all entirely on his diabolical grandfather. The man couldn't take another day of willing torture.

He glanced at the clock and bolted out the door, keeping up a string of curses as he hopped one one foot, pulling on his boots. Laxus would never hear the end of it if he was late.

* * *

_He's late_, Lucy thought, irritated. The one day she decided to be nice and not force him to drag her out of her house, and he was late. The young spirit mage sighed and covered her eyes with her hand to check the sun's position. If her calculations were correct, Laxus was over an _hour_ late. Lucy sighed, sinking into the soft earth, arms and legs stretched out.

Her 'mentor' surprised her every time she turned around. Whatever she thought of the man (and the two sides of her brain were still in an enthusiastic wrestling match), Lucy certainly wasn't expecting him to find such beautiful places to train or for them to still be there. She was so used to the idea that power equaled destruction that it was hard to wrap her mind around someone as powerful as Laxus training in the forest without utterly decimating the surrounding area.

It would have been a shame to lose this place, Lucy smiled. When he said he was going to take her swimming, she was confused at first. She hadn't known something this pretty existed so close to their – because Lucy had started to think of that giant oak training ground as theirs – training ground. Laxus had led her to a break in the trees; she'd stepped out onto a stretch of green grass that served as a barrier between the woodland behind them, and the pond that lay beyond. Lucy rested on her elbows to admire it again.

The pond was a rarity, full of crystal clear water that lapped gently against the grass, clean despite being deep and cold. There must have been a rockslide at one point – natural stepping stones dotted the surface, some big enough to sit and rest on, like tiny island chains in a miniature sea. Behind the pond was a steep cliff of dark stone. Smooth, excepting the random gouges and scars that were the only hint that Laxus actually trained there, it reached up against the bright blue sky devoid of clouds. _Shame,_ Lucy thought. _I would have liked some more shade... _Soft footsteps interrupted her train of thought, and she tilted her head back to see her companion, her view of him upside-down. His canvas pack was slung over one shirtless shoulder, and she giggled quietly when he shed his pants. He wore his bathing suit underneath, and those shorts never failed to amuse her.

"You're late," Lucy said accusingly as he walked closer. She pointed a lazy finger at his face, reaching with her arm, unconcerned by his minor glare.

"No, you're early. I went to your house first," he told her, pulling off his boots and tossing them backwards without seeing where they landed. He'd walked all that way, only to find her gone, and assumed she'd hid from him, trying to avoid training. Laxus was dripping in sweat, and went to wipe his face with his pants. He stopped, noticing that Lucy made a face at him, and proceeded to dry his jaw and neck with exaggerated motions, smirking at the way her nose crinkled.

"You probably ate all my food again," Lucy pouted. He raised one eyebrow, and grabbed the stolen food from his bag. Stuffing the last of her leftovers from the night before in his mouth, he sat down cross-legged behind her.

"I've decided I'm not letting you have all my skills for free," he tried to say with a full mouth. It came out muffled, but she seemed to understand anyway.

"What?! You're making me pay you, too?" Lucy whined and flapped her arms, too lazy to spend any more energy on rage. She rested her head back on the grass and tilted it farther to see his face.

"Yes. You're cooking for me," he demanded arrogantly, eyes wandering against his will. Her current position gave him a rather good view of her...assets. Weakling she may be, but that didn't mean she was hard to look at.

"Sexist pig. I refuse." _It's not like he doesn't raid my fridge anyway, _Lucy reasoned. At least this way she'd get to decide what he ate. He flicked her nose, hard, for her insolence.

"You don't get a choice," He said simply. Laxus stood and waded into the pond up to his knees, barely slowing from the cold. He looked back at her, and Lucy saw a mischievous grin split his face right before he dove in, dousing her with the freezing water. She shrieked angrily and dove in right after him, grabbing his ankle and pulling him underwater before she broke the surface, grinning triumphantly. He surfaced a second later, sputtering and shoving his hair back from his face.

Laxus stared at Lucy, who was busy laughing and throwing her fist in the air in victory. She wasn't the least bit afraid of him anymore. Had she ever been actually scared in the first place? If she was cautious, it was only to make sure he wouldn't lose his temper or toss another rock at her head. Which was wise, because he was half-tempted, the annoying, defiant little newbie that she was.

It wasn't that the woman next to him was courageous, pushing through her fear, but that the fear was absent. Non-existent. Lucy stopped celebrating long enough to look at him, questioning. The man realized his thoughts must be showing on his face, and ducked under the water to yank his companion under as well. Lucy launched a full assault in retaliation.

* * *

The war lasted a long time, but finally, on opposite sides of the pond, both mages dragged themselves onto stones, dripping and barely able to breathe. The water had flattened Laxus's hair, and Lucy couldn't stop laughing, he looked so ridiculous to her.

"Minx!" He called, throwing his strangled voice toward her across the water.

"Troublemaker! You started it!" was the strained reply, coming back in pieces from the breathless woman. He grinned.

"Okay, okay," Laxus gasped, "Time to train-" His speech was broken by small bursts of amusement. "Meditation on the rocks." He glanced in her direction, saw that she was on all fours, and averted his eyes. _I'll end up with a nosebleed if I'm not careful,_ he warned himself. _I thought I was __less__ of a pervert than the old man, dammit._

"Fine," Lucy managed to get out. She slowly regained her breath, and knelt, legs tucked neatly under her and hands in her lap. "How do we do this?" There was a single moment where both blonds realized at the same time that they'd settled into a teacher-student routine. She was voluntarily looking at him for help, and he was going to give it just as easily, whether to save his own skin or genuinely help her, even he didn't know. They looked at each other, and Laxus nodded.

"Come out into the center," he told her. She hesitated.

"Truce?" she called. _Smart girl,_ he thought approvingly before he could remember he didn't want to have any positive feelings towards her at all.

"Truce, just get out here," he said, the words coming out laced with impatience. They both slipped into the water again and clambered up onto two stones side by side, facing the edge of the trees, the cliff behind. The water continued to ripple gently as Laxus looked to his left and saw that his trainee was giggling again. He scowled deeply and shoved his hair out of his face, back into its usual gravity-defying state. Lucy was finally able to catch her breath and settle into a kneeling position

"No, sit cross-legged like me," he corrected, patting his own legs. "That will kill your knees." She switched her stance on the smooth stone without a word.

"Close your eyes and don't think," he told her, closing his own before adding, "Shouldn't be too hard, for you." He just couldn't resist an opening like that. She copied him, but not before reaching over to smack his shoulder. He flicked her again for having the gall to hit him. _We're not close enough for that,_ Laxus grumbled to himself.

"I feel stupid," Lucy complained after a few seconds of silence, and opened her eyes a sliver.

"No peeking," her 'mentor' ordered. "You're supposed to be _quiet_. And still. Which gotta be hard concepts for you, but-"

"Oh, shut _up,_" Lucy muttered, making him open one eye.

"That's the point," he said smugly, and closed his eye. She slapped his shoulder again, hard, and he chuckled softly this time, too calm already to bother hitting back. They sat there, silent and still, as the water flowed against the stones and the sounds of the forest just barely reached their ears. Laxus opened his eyes after a minute or two. Lucy's face was blank, betraying nothing, but her body was still and relaxed. He wondered briefly if this was how he looked when he meditated.

"You're getting it," he said slowly. "Just stay like that and remember to breathe, 'cause I'm not pulling your drowning ass out of the water when you faint." Lucy cracked a smile and then settled again, breathing deep. Laxus also smiled, where she couldn't see. She hadn't risen to the bait, so it was working. Now to get back to his own...Laxus adjusted with the ease of practice, and almost immediately fell into a kind of trance.

* * *

Lucy hated this, but what was new? Drops of water slid down her back making her itch. The sweat started again, and the sun beat down on her shoulders. She was sure her skin was turning red, and cracked her eyes open to check. They flew wide in shock. _It's almost sun-down!_ she gasped. She'd thought she wasn't doing well, but time had passed without her even noticing. The spirit mage looked at Laxus, her mouth open, ready to exclaim her happiness, and stopped.

Laxus was still sitting beside her, their knees nearly touching. His skin glistened from sweat, but he didn't seem uncomfortable. He looked as if he were in his own world, a small smile gracing his relaxed features. The younger mage smiled just to look at him, his hands resting limply on his knees and a contented aura surrounding him that she could practically feel. It was a rare sight, to see him so unguarded.

She supposed, seeing him this way, so relaxed and happy, so different from the self-serving bastard that had wanted to kill her about a week ago, that he was kind of attractive. _Okay, very attractive_, Lucy conceded, watching a drop of sweat slip down his jaw and past his neck, drawing her eyes down to his unique tattoo. There was something about the swirling ink that captured her attention. Before she knew what she was doing, Lucy's hand reached out and touched the stained skin closest to her, trailing her fingers along the three spikes on his shoulder.

Laxus flinched from the sudden contact and opened his eyes, dazed at first but quickly focusing on the person next to him. Chocolate-brown eyes studied the skin under Lucy's fingers for another moment before darting up to his face.

Lucy pulled her hand away quickly and flushed pink, unable to move her eyes away. She stammered, "Um...it's sunset?" Her trembling voice turned the statement into a question. Laxus stared at her, eyebrows raised, before he answered.

"Food's on the bank," he said quietly. She nodded and dove into the water, a convenient avenue to hide her face; she was sure it was red, and not only from sunburn. The water sloshed against his rock softly. He took a deep shuddering breath, and exhaled. Meditation was exactly what he'd needed, but she'd managed to undo nearly all of it by simply touching him. _What possessed her to do that?_ he wondered.

And more, when did a fleeting contact with one person suddenly become so huge for him? He wasn't a young teenager; he'd had a few girlfriends over the years – well, more like flings and one-night stands. He'd found he couldn't stand any of them for long, no matter how huge their chest was. Lucy was one of the exceptions. He could tease and mock her and she wouldn't cry. She'd fight back; give him more than he gave her, sometimes, and in return he prodded and poked at her, trying to make her snap at him again.

Laxus didn't just tolerate Lucy; he accepted her. Why? Why did this, this _princess_, get special dispensation to mess with him? He had never let anyone be so free and casual with him, excepting his Raijinshuu, and that wasn't even voluntary. He'd given up trying to get it through his thick-skulled team's heads that he didn't want to be touched. But Lucy understood. Understood, and ignored him entirely.

And that touch? Why were they stuck in his head, these innocent touches? _And why the hell did it have to be her that's messing with my head?_ Laxus grumbled, glaring fiercely at Lucy's smooth form as she swam underwater to the bank. The princess, the weakling, Fairy Tail's little mascot spirit mage. _So annoying. It must be her fault somehow,_ he growled. But no matter how he sifted through his head, some part of him doubted he'd find proof of that. She didn't seem devious enough to play those kinds of tricks.

He wasn't angry with her (other than the usual, he meant. When was he ever not angry at her?), but he was definitely confused, his mind in a jumble from both her actions and her lack of fear. He rubbed the area she'd touched roughly, attempting to rid himself of the feeling before he slipped into the water, using long, powerful strokes underwater to reach the shore and join Lucy for dinner before they parted ways to begin it all again tomorrow.

_If he knew what he'd done, old man would pee his pants, he'd be laughing so hard,_ Laxus thought grumpily. _Maniacal old geezer._

* * *

Maybe this is good place to stop again? I think I packed too much into each chapter when I was planning, not realizing that most stuff would flesh out on its own. If the past chapters are indicative of how much I'll have to split in the future, we're all in for a long haul. -insert resigned long-suffering feelings here-

Soooo, what'd ya think? Hmm? HMMM? Review, because I like it when you do. -makes lovely snowflake for each reviewer-

~Tory.

PS. An especially long haul, if I keep taking this long to update. Tell me, are they getting too close, too fast? I don't think so. The overall plot has them falling quickly, since I only give them a month to both get ready for the exams and to stumble into a relationship. I'm not going to change this entire fic to give them a little more time. So what I'm asking you is, are they falling too quick specifically? Like, flirting too much too quickly? Not enough confusion? Not enough denial and feeling rebellion?


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